The Moment I Knew I Was an American

The moment I knew I was an American was when I stopped thinking about home. I was born in China and moved to Houston, Texas when I was 5 years old. In preschool, I did not know any English and could not understand anyone else, but through school and television I learned English. By the time I was 7 years old, I could speak decent English. However, as the years went by I began to forget how to speak Chinese. Now I am 14 and only know a couple of words in that language.
I believe that the second you step on American soil and plan to stay there, you are an American, legal or not. America is meant to be a melting pot and have a diverse culture, the only difference between illegal immigrants and legal is that they didn't pass a test. Both look to start a new life and leave a country of either oppression or violence.
But, for me, the first couple of months I lived in Houston I always thought about home and I was young back then so I thought we were going to move back soon. After those months, I stopped thinking about China and from that point on I thought of myself as an American. Before if I were to visit some place, I would that I was from China originally but moved to America. Now, I wouldn't feel the need to bring that up; now I would rather stay in the United States than move back to China. The moment I knew I was an American was when I thought of myself as one.